Update: The Super Bowl just got sweeter . . .

Derrick Coleman, goes undrafted, but has since made the Seattle Seahawks team, and will soon play in the Super Bowl.

A little girls sees the commercial below and writes this letter:


My favorite line:  'But I've been deaf since I was 3, so I didn't listen.'



"That's just the way I approach my life," Coleman told FOX Sports. "Every day I wake up and I get a chance. I always say that God blessed me this morning and I can do what I do. Our time in this world is very limited. It can be gone now or it can be gone later so I take advantage of every opportunity I have whether it's playing football, working or whatever. I'm just a happy guy."

http://www.seahawks.com/videos-photos/videos/Derrick-Coleman-The-sound-of-silence-in-the-NFL/b13590a2-396f-4103-9428-efd694a35940

---

UPDATE:
It get's even better!
http://msn.foxsports.com/buzzer/story/derrick-coleman-writes-special-letter-to-deaf-little-girl-who-wrote-him-012214

Taste of the Olympics - Part 1 - Luge

The Luge was a lot of fun.  We found out that speed doubles when you are laying on your back.  30mph seems like 60mph.  We went on league night, which maybe wasn't the best idea . . . but the amazing part is that we took all 3 spots on the podium!

First - Noonan

Second - Krazy

Third - Cheese

Mitchem is going to the Dominican Republic!

Everyone:  Mitchem is going to the Dominican Republic!  Read below and let's support him with:

- prayer

- $ 

Email him @ chad.mitchem@gmail.com to get a nice little packet with a tax receipt.  After all, you wouldn't want to give unless you get a tax benefit!

Africa's Child (story)

For those of you interested in the story of the store – Africa’s Child (this is a very bare-bones effort of telling the story.  MUCH more info can be found at www.africaschild.info, as well as some of the blogs linked on that website):

Rob and Christa Murphy and family have been missionaries in Zambia, Africa for some time now.  Along with their 6 children, they have reached out to many individuals in many different ways.  Rob is a pastor and speaker, while wife Christa is a medical doctor and has been working with individuals with AIDS, among other things.  In their time in Zambia, they have raised enough money to purchase a sizeable piece of land, build a hospital, and assist financially with other clinics and orphanages in the surrounding villages.  Again, these details are sketchy, and perhaps someday, I will get the information accurate.

I do know that part of their vision was to do everything debt free, which they have done in Africa.  Also, they had the dream to open a second-hand thrift store here in the States to fund their efforts and so they would not need to continue asking people and churches for assistance.  So they opened “Africa’s Child” in Holland, located next to Goodwill on Lakeshore Drive.  As I understand it, the “big picture” vision includes building 19 more stores like this one in Holland, including the new store in Grand Rapids that opens on February 1^st.  In addition to these 20 total stores, each one will be sort of connected to 5 “boutiques”, each specializing in a particular area – tools, kids’ stuff, etc.  Yes, 20 x 5 = 100 stores in all!  “With God, all things are possible!”  (Matthew 19:26).

The story took an extremely difficult turn last spring.  While playing in Zambia, the Murphy’s 10 year old daughter Christianna collapsed and unexpectedly passed away.  This impacted the Murphys in ways I cannot imagine, and refuse to even think about personally.  “The devil roars around like a prowling lion”   (1 Peter 5:8).

Rob and Christa have remained in the U.S. continuing to try to discern God’s next plans for their lives, while keeping in touch with Zambia and keeping all doors open.  They have also been very involved with the new store opening in Grand Rapids.  Please continue to lift this family up in your prayers, knowing that God is not finished with them, but also knowing that they no doubtedly continue to try to work through the grieving process and search for answers to extremely difficult questions.

I have not read everything on the blogs, but the following post did catch my attention and put things into perspective (yes, I hugged my kids extra tight tonight):

On November 6, 2011, Christianna was baptized by her father.  We recently came across her written testimony she gave at the service.  Another time we are so thankful for God's Spirit at work in her heart!

"I came to know Jesus when I was in first grade and my mom read Bible stories and I wanted to read more and more.  As I got older i wanted to start my own devotions.  Now every morning for 15 minutes before breakfast I spend my own time reading the Bible.

One day I accepted Christ and I felt more joyful and happy and it was easier to be loving and kind to others.  Now I share Christ when my family goes to Zambia and even while we're here and I get to share about our mission to help children with HIV.  I often hold the babies and sing "Jesus Loves Me" to calm them down or feed them when no one is able to.

One day after devotions I started asking to be baptized.  It is important because Jesus was baptized, as a symbol of our sins being washed away.

I love Jesus with all my heart and I want to follow Him more each day." --- Christianna Joy Murphy

Africa's Child (work day)

This past week Thursday, a group of somewhat skilled men traveled  to Grand Rapids (off of Plainfield and 4 Mile) to a new second-hand store called Africa's Child.  The store is scheduled to open February 1st, and there are many things on the to do list that were scratched off the list by some very hard working men (see pictures for proof!).

Clausing hiding / attaching hardware to clothes racks.  "I hope they dont try to hang anything on these clothes racks!" excalimed Clausing.

                                          Wolovolek getting the measurements to cut the studs for the wall.  "What did I get myself into?" was something I overheard Chris saying.

 Part of the wall that DuBois put up.  Afterwards he said, "hurry, let's get out of here before the wall falls faster than Jericho!"

Dyk, a huge fan of "The World's Strongest Man" competition helped out by keeping the mood light, as well as starting his new strength and conditioning program.  "Everybody watch me!" Dyk yelled out numerous times that night.

Joe and Cory toe-nailing the studs.  Looks great, fellas.

    

Shouldn't you be doing something Greg?

                         Much BETTER!  (Unless you look closely and notice that there is no air hose hooked up to the nail gun.  But you look great!)

 Yes, some standing around happened as well.  Everyone, please meet my brother-in-law Joe.  He is a good guy, and looks great in his cute little nail pouch.

 Dave Sternberg did relay to me, "well, the wall looks good, especially for that group!"  (Just kidding).

 Uh oh Clausing.  You better hope Mrs. Clausing doesn't see this!  But you did do a great job.

There's the group.  Pabama!  And proof that God can use ANYONE to accomplish his goals.  To God be the Glory!

We need Life, and we are promised it!

We Need Life  

Christianity is often presented as essentially the transfer of a body of knowledge. We learn about where the Philistines were from, and how much a drachma would be worth today, and all sorts of things about the original Greek. The information presented could not seem more irrelevant to our deepest desires.

Then there are the systems aimed at getting our behavior in line, one way or another. Regardless of where you go to church, there is nearly always an unspoken list of what you shouldn’t do (tailored to your denomination and culture, but typically rather long) and a list of what you may do (usually much shorter— mostly religious activity that seems totally unrelated to our deepest desires and leaves us only exhausted). And this, we are told, is the good news. Know the right thing; do the right thing. This is life? When it doesn’t strike us as something to get excited about, we feel we must not be spiritual enough. Perhaps once we have kept the list long enough, we will understand.

We don’t need more facts, and we certainly don’t need more things to do. We need Life, and we’ve been looking for it ever since we lost Paradise. Jesus appeals to our desire because he came to speak to it. When we abandon desire, we no longer hear or understand what he is saying. But we have returned to the message of the synagogue; we are preaching the law. And desire is the enemy. After all, desire is the single major hindrance to the goal—getting us in line. And so we are told to kill desire and call it sanctification. Or as Jesus put it to the Pharisees, “You load people down with rules and regulations, nearly breaking their backs, but never lift even a finger to help” (Luke 11:46 The Message).

John Eldredge - Desire

An accident of latitude . . .

Nicholas and Nikolaus  (From World Vision Blog)

We’ve been saving for our son Nicholas’s college education since he was 3. That’s when Washington state introduced the Guaranteed Education Program, or GET. We could sock away a few hundred dollars a month and by the time Nick was ready to go to college, it would all be paid for. Now, Nick is at Western Washington University; and every quarter, I simply transfer money from the GET program to Western. It is easy and painless.

We got to see Nick this past Saturday at parents’ weekend in Bellingham. Nick got to see his sister and his grandmother, too. We were all very excited to celebrate the opportunity he has to learn and prepare for his future. That future is wide open.

Nicholas at parents' weekend in Bellingham. (Photo: Kari Costanza)

Nicholas’s life is a far cry from a Nikolaus I met two Thursdays ago in Tanzania. Like my Nicholas, this Nikolaus is college-age. Unlike my Nick, there seems to be no future in sight for this young man who shares his name -- Greek for "victory."

Nikolaus lives with his mother and seven siblings in a dry, barren area of Tanzania. Because there has been no rain, farming has been terrible. We talked with one farmer in the area who was only able to grow six bags of maize last year on 200 acres of land.

Nikolaus’ mother, Donatilla, has it hard. The family lives in a cow-dung hut with walls you can see through. The dung has fallen off and they don't have the means to replace it. They battle malaria. When we spoke with Donatilla, she thought she might be getting malaria once again. She was tired and achy. Her children get malaria five times a year. When they are stricken, they miss school. When they miss school, they lose ground. When they lose ground, they give up.

Nikolaus seems to have given up. When I asked him about his life, he hung his head in shame. Because his father left the family, he is now head of the household -- at 22. He farms what little he can and lives with his mother, brothers, and sisters in a house they share with 30 goats. The goats bleat, poop, and smell. It is no way to live.

Years ago, Nikolaus had to drop out of school. He had no GET program to save him. Poverty closed the book on his chance for education.

I asked Donatilla about her dreams for her son’s future. She paused for a long time -- shaking her head for a good 20 seconds before she replied, her eyes brimming with tears. “Any job,” she said. "Any job."

I too want my son to have a job. But not just any job. A job that serves people. Like my job. I want my son Nicholas to find a job with the same rich blessings. I want him to do something that makes a difference in the world. And I want his job to be his joy. I want him to wake up to find every morning brimming with possibilities.

Two young men named Nicholas. Two very different lives. But both of these young men have hope.

We’ve been planning for our son’s future since before he was born, beginning by painting his nursery yellow and blue with cows jumping over the moon. We made sure he had a nutritious diet, good friends, and excellent teachers.

And Nickolaus in Tanzania? He doesn’t know it now, but World Vision has big plans for his area -- plans to bring him hope and a future.

World Vision is launching a program called Securing Africa's Future in all 62 programs in Tanzania. The program combines smart, innovative agricultural techniques with even smarter economics. People farm in groups and use their new-found know-how and their collective muscle to overcome greedy traders who once took advantage of them as individuals.

Now they hold the cards.

One farmer in Eastern Tanzania made $15,000 in onions last year. That was my first salary in television news. It is a lot of money. Not only can that onion farmer send his children to school, but to college. They will be Tanzania's next leaders.

Securing Africa's Future will soon be rolled out to Nikolaus' community. My hope is that his family will benefit from the program. They need income from good crops. They need a new house. They need hope.

Simply put, Nikolaus in Tanzania deserves everything that Nicholas Costanza enjoys. There’s only one difference between these two wonderful young men -- the place they were born, or as Bono puts it, "an accident of latitude." I believe an innovative program like Securing Africa's Future can overcome that accident of latitude and give Nikolaus a fighting chance at a future.

It’s a chance Nikolaus deserves.

His name, after all, means victory. Just like my son's.

- See more at: http://blog.worldvision.org/stories/nicholas-and-nikolaus#sthash.lwrtoWLv.dpuf

Someone who 'Gets it' ....

Why Switchfoot won’t sing Christian songs
December 5, 2013

Lead singer Jon Foreman was asked if Switchfoot is a “Christian” band.His response is worth pondering.

Switchfoot is going secular. Sort of.

“To be honest, this question grieves me because I feel that it represents a much bigger issue than simply a couple SF tunes. In true Socratic form, let me ask you a few questions: Does Lewis or Tolkien mention Christ in any of their fictional series? Are Bach’s sonata’s Christian? What is more Christ-like, feeding the poor, making furniture, cleaning bathrooms, or painting a sunset? There is a schism between the sacred and the secular in all of our modern minds.
The view that a pastor is more ‘Christian’ than a girls volleyball coach is flawed and heretical. The stance that a worship leader is more spiritual than a janitor is

A cute add, thought I should post it, since I have 5 girls and all . . . (Not sure I will purchase it, reviews say it is a great concept, but quite 'light')